How to start your e-commerce business and accept payments with Klasha

The world is rapidly evolving, and today’s commerce system is no exception, as many businesses and trade stores are very serious about their online presence. The rationale behind this is simple: most people now prefer the ease of purchasing goods and services online rather than physically going to a store. 

E-commerce businesses are the talk of the town as online shops are booming in online commerce. With retail e-commerce sales worldwide reaching nearly $5 trillion in 2021, now is the time to start an online business.

Due to its flexible and affordable nature, you might have thought of starting your own online e-commerce business but have no idea what the first step is. Like any business, starting an e-commerce business isn’t always easy, so you can follow these simple steps to launch your online store and get paid via the best online payment gateway. 

Find and research your e-commerce niche

Like any brick-and-mortar business, researching the space you want to enter is very important. Understanding your target audience and product market demand is also vital. Consider: 

What will your e-commerce business offer? 

• Are you offering products or services?

• Will the product or service be physical or digital?

• What business model will you employ?

• Will you provide single products, packages, subscriptions, or something else?

• What will your startup costs be?

• Will you need to obtain permits or licenses for the business you have in mind?

These questions will serve as your research guide and help you know more about your proposed business idea.

Although the unprecedented growth of the e-commerce industry is an excellent plus for online merchants, it means the competition is also stiff. As well as thinking of a business name and obtaining all the necessary licenses and permits, you also need to perform competitor research to find the best space to establish your brand and succeed in selling products and services.

Doing your research and knowing more about your business niche is essential for online or offline businesses.

Choose an e-commerce platform and create your business website

At this stage, you have completed all the needed steps to research your business, created a business plan, and followed through with all the required paperwork for your online business. 
Instead of looking for physical space and choosing paint patterns for a store, you create your online website/store. 

Like a physical storefront, this website will be the face of your business as it is the first impression prospective customers will have and where they will browse and purchase your products or services. You can reference our detailed guide on the factors to consider when choosing an e-commerce platform.

With this in mind, we have some recommended platforms for you based on the user interface, ease of payment, and e-commerce capabilities: 

• Squarespace 

• Weebly

• OpenCart

Source and advertise your products or services

You are almost at the end of the process! You should know where to source your products or services after following step one thoroughly. If you are selling services, you need to provide ample information about your website’s services. 

With selling products, the steps might be more complex as you will need to worry about inventory, delivery services, SEO(search engine optimization), and order process, to mention a few.

How can Klasha help with online payment gateways?

Dedicated to borderless payments in Africa, Klasha has B2B and B2C solutions that make online transactions easy and seamless. These offerings include: 

KlashaCheckout: Sell quickly in Africa by accepting African currencies from your customers. Once integrated with your online store, KlashaCheckout allows your customers to pay seamlessly and have a great checkout experience courtesy of our highly responsive checkout. 

Payment Links: Suitable for online and offline businesses, Klasha Payment Links allows merchants to create customised payment links within seconds. This online payment method requires no code, no website, and assistance from Klasha support to get it done. Easy to create, share and delete, this link can be shared via email, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, and more.

KlashaWire: Used to wire large payments overseas from Africa, KlashaWire makes it easy for merchants to send money in their African currencies to their suppliers, who receive it in their dominant currencies. KlashaWire is fast, 100% secure, and has cheaper exchange rates. 

How do you know when to launch your e-commerce store?

Research, learn more about your niche, choose an e-commerce platform, advertise your product and integrate Klasha for ease of payment. That’s about it! You are set to start your e-commerce store and make your products and services available. 

Do you have any questions about using any of our B2B solutions? Reach out to Klasha support, and someone will be in touch shortly.