To sell something online at a distance, you need to understand the needs of your target group. It may be that you think you need certain webshop features, but do you always think in function of your customer? It is important to determine your target group first and only then to determine the features that might offer them added value.

Most of the decisions to add new features to a online store are made incorrectly, because they don't happen through the eyes of the customer. It can also be good to look at which features competing webshops have, but this does not mean that they have always done well. They can also just try something out without taking into account data or their target audience?

PHPro tip: take a look at product reviews or a competitor's website! This not only saves you time and money, but also saves you on costly mistakes and you immediately notice what really counts.​

There are many platforms to easily set up a webshop. So you can think: "Beautiful, enough choice?". Make no mistake, however, it is important to take the necessary time to choose the right and most suitable platform. You can compare it to a purchase of a house or business premises, you don't do this in one day. The bottom line is that you often have to work with one platform for years. A move or migration of a webshop is always possible, but this often involves costs and extra effort.

The functionalities and possibilities are different for each online shop. First try to think months to years ahead. Do you see that the functionalities are too limited to achieve your goals? Then check in time whether the same functionalities are available on another e-commerce platform! Once you have made your choice of platform, you will not be able to return so soon.

A correct flow of your online store is one thing, but don't forget that there is still a back-end and logistics behind the scenes. In a back-end it should be possible to follow up and process orders. During certain periods it can get busier than normal, then it is often all hands on deck. It is therefore not only important to receive order information properly, but also that automated processes take place. Nowadays, consumers are used to being kept informed and receiving their orders on time.

Nowadays you can link order information and statuses to third party extensions. For example, it is possible to quickly create a shipping label with already filled in data from the back-end. It is also possible to automatically send a track & trace code to a customer. So be sure to think about how you will combine the logistics with smart systems to make that flow run optimally! This is good for the process and for your customers.

E-commerce has grown more and more in recent years. Due to the rise of online shops and e-giants, a number of legal requirements have been added over the years. A few years ago, for example, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR or AVG) came into force in the European Union. It is a set of rules introduced by the European Union to protect the data and privacy of natural persons. This also had an impact on e-commerce due to the large amount of data collected by webshops. Webshops often use analytics and applications that can place cookies and trackers in a user's browser. It is important that cookies are described in the cookie policy.

There is also such a thing as the legal trial period to which consumers are entitled. Nowadays there are fortunately enough e-commerce companies and standard templates on Google that can support you in this.

You don't grow through e-commerce alone. Collaborating with other parties can give you just that little bit more added value! Because, for example, payment providers specialise in safe, reliable and easy payment systems, you can also add reliability to your webshop yourself. Online marketing specialists will in turn ensure that orders flow in. Do you work together with an IT partner who is ready day and night to make your webshop run smoothly or optimize it? Good, then you can sleep on both ears that the orders keep coming in! 

Making the right choices are important to achieve your e-commerce goals quickly and efficiently. If you don't do this, starting a online store can become problematic and more expensive than originally thought. Certainly try to take the above issues into account in the checklist.