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How to Make an Ecommerce Business Plan for Your Startup

Darren DeMatas

November 20, 2024

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So you’ve decided that you want to quit your day job and start your very own ecommerce empire. That’s great!

But before you become the next Jeff Bezos (and definitely before you quit your job!), it’s worth spending some time thinking about a business plan. In this article, we’ll dive into the key elements of an ecommerce business plan, which is very different than writing traditional business plans.

Why You Should Create a Business Plan

We know that starting an ecommerce business is exciting, and it can be tempting to jump right in without constructing a business plan. READ: PLEASE DON’T DO THIS.

If you haven’t put your ideas, questions and concerns on paper, then you haven’t given your business model enough thought .

Taking the time to write a business plan might seem like a lot of work, but it can save you a lot of time and money in the long run by better preparing you for potential challenges and opportunities that you’ll face as a first-time entrepreneur. Think of it as a roadmap for your new business venture.

It’s exciting to start your own ecommerce business. However, you want to be well prepared and not jump into anything without having a solid, foolproof ecommerce business plan in place.

After all, you wouldn’t jump out of a plane without a parachute, so why start a business without a safety device in place? That safety device is your business plan.

The business plan is the brainstorming process that ensures your concept and goals are realistic.

This is more than just mental notes. True business plans take your ideas , questions, and concerns and put those in writing.

As you start creating your business plan, you’ll soon understand that it’s more than a single piece of paper with handwritten details on it. It’s a clearly constructed format of how your business will be created, how it will operate, and what you hope the future holds in terms of a successful ecommerce business.

When you write your business plan, be sure to have a target audience in mind. Are you going to look for investors or put a Kickstarter campaign into motion and use this as your descriptive platform? If so, make sure that your business plan contains everything the audience would want to know about your business (and more!). Many traditional funding solutions require a business plan in order to give you capital. However, there are alternative solutions, such as  Payability  that specialize in ecommerce and don’t require credit checks, a business plan, or any complicated paperwork. They can also get you approved in as little as 24 hours.

When your business plan is completed, you should have achieved the following goals:

• Knowledge:  A greater sense of knowledge of the business aspects.
• Resources:  The resources you’re going to need to make your business successful, such as partners, money, employees, etc.
• Road Map: Have clear set goals to take you from the very beginning of your business and onward.
• Viability: In other words, is your business possible? Will you have enough profit margins to keep the doors open long-term?

Now that you know why you should create a business plan, it’s time to move on to how you can create your business plan and get started putting your ecommerce business into motion.

How to Start an Ecommerce Business Plan

At the very beginning of the planning stages, it’s a good idea to develop a framework for your business model. This business model will continue to evolve as you create each section of your ecommerce business plan, so don’t strive for a perfect completed plan on the first try. You will be making tweaks to the plan of certain steps along the way.

There are many ways to sell products online and different business models  to pursue. Research and learn from successful ecommerce business examples in the market. The exact business model you follow will be one that makes the most sense with your resources, skills, and interests.

In order to create the best online business plan with your product in mind, you need to figure out the following things:

What are you selling?

The first step to creating an online business is to learn the absolute basics of what you can sell.

• Physical products: Clothing , shoes, home goods
• Digital products: Software as a Service products, ecourses, ebooks
• Services: Consulting services, home cleaning

Who are you selling to?

• Business-to-Business (B2B): You are selling to organizations, corporations, and non-profits rather than individual customers
• Business to Consumer (B2C): This means you are selling to individual consumers rather than businesses
• Marketplace: You are acting as a middleman by bringing businesses and (B2B or B2C) customers to one website.

How are you sourcing your product?

• Manufacture in-house: You make your product or service in-house
• Third-party manufacturer: You outsource the manufacturing of your product or service to a third-party manufacturer
• Dropship: You partner with a dropship manufacturer. Basically, this means that they make your product, package it and ship it directly to your customer while your company handles the entire customer relationship.
• Wholesale : You buy goods or services from other companies in bulk and re-sell those products on your online store

Additional References

• Entrepreneurship: Business & Marketing Plans
• Small Business and Entrepreneurship
• Entrepreneurship Resources
• Business Plan Resources

Executive Summary

The executive summary will be written according to your goals, and it’s recommended that this is done at the very end of your business plan completion. This will ensure that you include all of the important factors about your business and present your ideas in a concise and complete way.

Some of the features you’ll include in the executive summary include information showing that you’ve done your research, you have concrete sales forecasts, and the main details about your brand.

Business Model

When you’re figuring out your business model, you have to consider four different areas:

• Monetization strategy
• Product/industry
• Target market
• Sales channel

Monetization Strategy

The monetization strategy delves into the methods you are going to use to sell your products.

This strategy will look at different product monetization methods, including white label, private label , affiliate marketing, wholesale, dropshipping, and even selling ads.

Product/Industry

The product industry section is where you summarize your main niche.

For example, “Vegan Skincare Products.”

Target Market

In the target market section, you will write a sentence or so on who your target market, or ideal customer, is in the community.

If you’re selling vegan skincare products, your target customers might be women who embrace the vegan lifestyle and use natural skincare products in their daily beauty regimen.

Sales Channel

The sales channel refers to where you’re going to sell your products.

For example, you might be selling your products on your own website, and this should be entered in this section.

Business Overview

This next section covers your company overview.

This section of your business plan will cover various features of your company, including the following:

• Company type
• Domain name
• Value proposition
• Brand traits

The brand name section lists your business name or brand name.

This is an extremely important aspect of your business plan as it’s what will set the tone for everything that follows.

Pick a brand name that’s simple yet unique and is something that can be used in a wordplay manner, if desired, but not pun-worthy.

Company Type

The company is how your business operates. For example, you might label your business as an LLC , S-corporation, sole proprietor, or some other type of business organization.

The best way to determine how you should categorize your company is to speak to your accountant. There are various tax and legal aspects to forming your business in a certain way.

Speak with the professionals in the company and corporation formation field to determine how to label your company and which company type best benefits your business in a variety of ways.

Domain Name

This section is where you list your domain name.

Choose a domain name that is memorable and embraces the overall traits and features of your business.

And, when choosing a domain name, be sure to think of SEO aspects when doing so. You’ll find out just how much all of these things tie together and ensure a frequently-visited website is the end result.

Keep in mind that with ecommerce, the domain name is just as important as the brand name. Maybe even more so!

Value Proposition

A value proposition is a short, crisp statement that will gauge how clear your idea is. Write this section as if you had one minute to explain your business to a potential investor or customer and then practice it over and over again.

The value proposition can be used on your ecommerce store as your company description.

Here’s a good example: Say you’re looking to start a hiking company called Atlas Hiking Co. which sells premium performance hiking shirts. A possible company description could be the following:

Atlas Hiking Co. is a lifestyle hiking company that produces high-performance hiking shirts for outdoor lovers. Our proprietary SPF40 fabric is one of the lightest fabrics on the market, providing mountain lovers with maximum comfort, both from a breathability and sun-protection standpoint. Our product is made in the U.S.A. and a portion of our profits are donated to preserve national parks around the country.

Pay special attention to all the sensory words !

The mission statement in your business plan is the “why” of it all.

For example, why you started the business, why you are selling the products you are selling, etc., can all be added to this section of your business plan.

You can make this portion as simple or detailed as you like. Just make sure to properly and clearly explain your business mission.

The vision part of the business plan is your “how” in the grand scheme of things. It is the dream you have for your company and the path you’re going to take to realize that dream.

When you write the vision portion of the business plan, think long-term. What are you hoping to achieve, not just in the near future but for the long haul of the life of your business?

Look into the future and plan out where you see your business in 5, 10, even 20 years from now.

This will help you construct the rest of your business plan if you know where you want your business to head, now and in the future.

Brand Traits

The brand traits section is a short section in your company overview.

Basically, in the brand traits section you’re going to want to list three to five words that describe your brand.

Think of your brand personality and describe it using a few separate powerful words.

The personnel section lists all individuals, including yourself, who will be involved in the daily operations of your business. You can create a separate section for a full operations plan or add that later.

Some business owners choose to handle all duties on their own or with a partner, while others will hire individuals to fill the following roles:

• CEO (usually the business owner)
• Management team
• Customer service/logistics
• PR/Social media specialist
• SEO manager
• Advertising manager

Competitive Market Analysis

Here’s a fact you can bank on: there has never been a successful e-commerce entrepreneur that didn’t understand his/her target market cold.

That’s why this section is one of the most important in the entire business plan. It will force you to understand the industry in which you operate, the overall industry analysis and outlook, the existing competition, and your target customer demographic.

Market Segment

The market segment portion of the business plan will help you to put your ideas down on paper, make them more focused, and get your team together.

This area will include your niche selection, target market, and competitive analysis.

Niche Selection

The niche section  provides an overview of your niche, why you selected it, whether there’s a micro niche included, and the type of niche you’ve chosen.

The purpose of this section is to crystalize the ideas that you have and make sure they are understandable and viable.

The target market section covers an overview of your target market plus describes your market segments.

Ask yourself who your target customer is (population size, age, geography, education, ethnicity, income level) and consider whether consumers are comfortable with buying your product category online.

When listing the target market information, make sure to mention your target audience size as this is important for ensuring that your audience will be adequately covered.

Competitive Analysis

With the competitive analysis portion of your market analysis, you want to list your market leader and direct and indirect competitors.

After you mention who these entities are, you need to list the characteristics of each one, such as domain name, business model, monthly traffic, and pricing range.

However, before you even get started in writing this section, you need to spend several hours researching your target market.

Here are some of the most efficient ways to research a particular market:

Industry reports

Google is your best friend. Look for any recent industry reports on your market of choice. This will give you a good sense of how much growth the industry is experiencing, why this growth is happening, and what are the largest customer segments. In our example of Atlas Hiking Co., we should research the outdoor apparel market.

Let’s say that through our research of the outdoor apparel industry, we discovered that there was a huge boom in youth hiking apparel. Perhaps parents were increasingly concerned about their kids’ exposure to UV rays while hiking, so they began to spend more money on their kids. We could use this valuable information to guide our business strategy.

There’s only so much you can read online. Go to a nearby store that sells similar products to yours and interview the store representative. The store rep has interacted with hundreds of interested customers, which can lead to thousands of valuable insights! It’s amazing how these insights can translate into a meaningful business opportunity.

Here’s an example:

If I were going into Billy’s Outdoor Store to research the outdoor apparel market, I would probably ask Billy the following:

• What are your best-selling products?
• What are your worst-selling products?
• Find products similar to yours and ask the representative his/her favorite features on products similar to yours.
• How much are customers generally willing to spend on these types of products?
• Do customers make repeat orders of any of these products?
• Do you get a lot of customers that are looking to buy last-minute hiking gear before they go on a hike?

Competition

Create an Excel spreadsheet of all of your competitors. In your spreadsheet, you should have the following columns:

• Competitor Name
• Price point
• Product Description
• Key Features (e.g., fabric, waterproof, slim fit, etc.)

What is the competition missing? Is there a gap in the offering? Where you can add some additional value?

After conducting the competitor analysis, Atlas Hiking Co. might find that the competition’s hiking shirts offer very few features at a low price point, but no one offers a luxury hiking shirt with additional features at a higher price point.

This is just an example of the types of insights one can gain from market research which can drastically alter your business model.

Keyword Research

By using Google’s keyword planner  and trends pages, you can get a good sense of how in demand your product is and whether it’s trending upward or downward. Google is great for a general idea, just don’t bank on it.

Some other keyword tools you can use for keyword research include Ahrefs, JungleScout, and Viral Launch. Check out this list  for more ideas.

Trade shows

Are there nearby trade shows that you can go to? Again, creating connections with other people in your industry is a surefire shortcut to countless hours of reading on the internet. Trade shows are also a great opportunity to talk to competitors, meet manufacturers, and better understand where things are heading in your industry.

Once you finish researching the relevant industry, you should summarize your findings by answering the following questions:

General Industry

• How big is the overall industry?
• How big is the specific sub-industry in which you intend to operate?
• Where has most of the historic growth in the market come from?
• Why is this the right time to enter this market?
• What are the sub-segments that are poised for future growth (e.g., youth apparel)?
• How crowded is the product category with competition?
• How is your competition distributing its product (online, retail, wholesale, etc.)?
• What’s missing from the competition’s product offering?

Products and Offers

So we know we want to sell hiking shirts, but how do you research specific products?

But for some of us, we’re not quite sure what we should sell. To succeed in online retail, you need a product that is trending upwards in a growing niche.

Different types of products

Some of the different types of products include the following:

• Convenience products: Frequent purchase products, little effort on buying
• Shopping products: Less frequently purchased in between purchases, little more effort and planning, shop around
• Specialty products: Strong brand preference and loyalty, will buy no matter what the price

The various types of niches include the following:

• Hobby niches
• Lifestyle niches
• Problem niches
• Weird/embarrassing niches

Existing products

Come up with detailed specifications for each product or service you intend to sell. If it’s a hiking shirt we’re selling, we would want to have:

• Detailed sketches of the shirt
• Fabric weight, materials, type
• Key features (e.g., pre-shrunk, water-proof, SPF 40)

Future product pipeline

What are other products that you have in the pipeline? Perhaps once you’ve successfully sold hiking shirts, you’re able to leverage your manufacturing relationships to provide hiking socks and shorts. Include that information in this section.

The products and services section will cover the various selling categories of items.

These product offerings will include the following:

• Core product

Each product group will have its own purpose in your sales catalog. For example, tripwire is the product that brings customers to your ecommerce store or online marketplaces  while the core product is your main seller.

Knowing what products you’ll include within each section allows you to have a firm grasp on what your main product will be and how the other types of products will work alongside your main product.

This section will also cover the search volume and Amazon pricing range.

You’ll need to calculate your true costs. You have to make sure you don’t overestimate your margins.

To tabulate your total true costs, you need to write down the costs in the following areas:

• Target price
• Supplier cost of the product
• Total cost per unit
• Net profit per unit
• Profit margin per unit

Once you complete the pricing portion, you’ll have everything on one sheet and readily accessible whenever you need it.

Marketing Plan and Operations

So, now you’ve concluded that you have a great business idea, and it’s in a growing market. That’s fantastic – but how are you going to drive traffic to your ecommerce website and get customers to buy it ? And how much can you afford to spend on your product?

Marketing  is everything. It’s important that your marketing efforts match your business model.

If you have a website and no marketing, your site won’t have any visitors. With no visitors, you will make no sales. Then how do you grow and sell your ecommerce business (if that’s your long-term goal)? Even with the best possible products, nobody will buy them if they aren’t directed to them in some way.

In order to come up with a marketing strategy, you need to first know your customer inside out. You should be able to answer such questions as:

• How old is your customer?
• Where does your customer live?
• What is the population of your customer base?
• What is their education level?
• What is their income level?
• What are your customer’s pain points?

With so many channels to reach your customer, which one is best for you?

Once we know pretty much everything there is to know about our target customer, we can shift focus to our marketing strategy. You want to choose marketing strategies that equal positive conversion rates. What channels should you use to grab the attention of your customer demographic? Some of the key marketing channels include:

Paid Marketing

• Pay-per-click – this online marketing typically involves using Google Shopping campaigns  and managing a product data feed.
• Affiliate sales networks – Allowing other blogs and websites to sell your product for a cut of the revenue. List the different affiliate sale networks that you plan to promote through.
• Facebook ads ⎯ Ads posted on Facebook to draw in buyers through social media means.
• Influencer marketing ⎯ Hiring industry influencers to get the word out about your product through their social media platforms and contacts.

Organic Marketing

• Social media (Facebook, Instagram , Pinterest, etc.): What is your strategy for social media, and where will you dedicate your attention?
• Search Engine Optimization : Create and promote awesome content so people find your product organically through search.
• Content marketing: Figure out how you’ll use content marketing in your business. Consider various article topics that will persuade your target audience to buy your products.
• Blogger networks: could be organic or paid through affiliate sale programs.
• Key bloggers: Develop a list of the key bloggers in your product category. For Atlas Hiking Co., this might be an influencer that blogs about the best hiking trails in America.

Finding the optimal mix of these advertising tools depends 100% on your customer segment as well as your product type. For example, a SaaS product targeting millennials will require an entirely different marketing strategy than an e-commerce physical product targeting baby boomers. Perhaps that should be a post on its own for another day!

How much should you spend to acquire a customer?

In order to understand this, we need first to discuss a concept known as customer lifetime value or LTV. In essence, this is a formula that helps you better understand how much an average customer will spend over time.

Here’s  a good read on how to calculate LTV.

It’s important to remember that for new businesses, you don’t have a lot of data on customer purchase habits so it’s a good idea to be more conservative with your assumptions in calculating LTV.

Let’s say, for Atlas Hiking Co., I determine that the average LTV per customer is $300. This means that over time, the average customer will spend $300. Let’s say, on average, if I receive $300 in revenue, $100 of that will translate to gross profit before I factor in my marketing costs (basically, I’m just subtracting the cost of making the shirts).

Knowing that my gross profit is $100 per shirt is a critical piece of information because it tells me that I can spend up to $100 in marketing to acquire a customer and still be profitable!

Some of the marketing options include social media marketing and content marketing.

Think about your business model and then line up your marketing budget. Your marketing budget may include the following items:

• Sales/branded content
• SEO/blog content
• Facebook/Instagram ads
• Influencer marketing
• Marketing tools
• Niche advertising

Choosing The Right Technology

With so much technology and SaaS products out there, it’s important to understand the various moving parts and diagram how they all integrate with one another.

Some of the different elements include:

• Shopping Cart Platforms  – e.g., Shopify , BigCommerce , WooCommerce , or any open-source platform
• Hosting – Nexcess, Kinsta, WPX
• Payment Processo r – e.g., Stripe, Paypal
• Fulfillment Center – e.g., Amazon, ShipBob
• Apps – e.g., Zipify, BuildWooFunnels, Gelato
• Accounting & Taxes  – e.g., Quicken, Xero
• Marketing Automation – e.g., Klaviyo , Mailchimp
• Marketing Tools – e.g.  Buzzstream, Ahrefs
• Customer Loyalty Programs  – e.g., Antavo, Smile

Come up with a detailed list of the different products and services you need to run your business as well as the monthly and per-transaction cost of each of them. This will be important in understanding the impact of these services on your margins.

Matching your business model to your technology is essential, too. Certain website platforms are better suited for specific sales models.

Email marketing is another type of technology that should be carefully considered and matched up correctly with your business model.

Keep in mind that it takes, on average, 6-7 interactions with a brand before someone makes a purchase, so you need to keep using technology to get them back to your website.

As you explore the technology options and find out ways to draw potential customers in and keep them happy while they’re there, here are some key points to keep in mind:

• What you say about yourself and your products with your website content
• How you respond to questions on live chat and email support
• How to make use of chatbots
• How you connect on social media
• The information you send through email marketing
• What bloggers and influencers say about your brand
• How existing customers review your company
• How you advertise
• How you establish loyalty beyond sales

After you figure out your technology methods, you have to come up with a technology budget.

The business plan must also include the operations side of things. Determine who will be your manufacturer, secondary manufacturer, and shipping and fulfillment  provider.

When looking at supply chain costs and options, ShipBob  is an ecommerce fulfillment provider you can consider.

Financial Plan

When figuring out your financial plan, evaluating and pinpointing your startup costs  is essential.

The focus of the financial plan is how long it will take for you to make your money back. You also need to figure out if you need a business loan .

Traffic and conversion rates will help you determine how long it will be until you start making money back.

You’ll also want to use an income statement to detail financial information.

This section is used for financial projections, such as forecasting sales, expenses, and net income of the business. Ideally, you’ll want to create a monthly Excel balance sheet showing the following:

• Projected revenue:  First, come up with your projected number of units sold and then come up with your projected revenue (Projected Revenue = # of Units Sold * Average Sales Price).
• Fixed expenses:   these are expenses that are fixed no matter how much you sell. Typically, these relate to monthly SaaS subscriptions, employee salaries, or rent.
• Variable expenses  – these expenses change in direct proportion to how much you sell. Common examples include the cost of goods sold and credit card payment processing fees.

This helps business owners better understand what they need to achieve to hit their profit goals. In reality, projections are usually always off the mark, but it’s good to give yourself some measurable goals to strive for.

This section should aim to answer the following questions about your product offering:

• How much product do you need to sell per year to meet your income goals for the business?
• What are the margins on your product? If you sell one hiking shirt for $50, how much do you make after paying your supplier, employees, and marketing costs?
• What is the lifetime value of a customer?
• How much can you spend to acquire customers? If you conservatively project that the average customer will spend $300 over time on your shirts, then you can afford to spend an amount less than $300 to acquire that customer using the paid marketing channels described previously.
• Do you have any big capital expenditures early on that would require you to need to bring in investors?
• Can you improve gross margins by making bigger orders from your suppliers?

There are various acquisition channels that will help your traffic to convert including:

Your revenue plan will contain a 12-month revenue forecast plan to help you map out each month of earnings.

There are different business earning models you can go through to determine how much you can make with your business.

You want to calculate how much traffic costs. This all depends on the methods you use to gain traffic to your site.

As you determine what your profit might be with your ecommerce business  or ecommerce businesses, there are certain math formulas to use:

• The profit equation
• Break-even analysis
• Units needed to achieve the profit target

You should also consider how you will use fintech companies in your ecommerce business.

What are the key elements of an ecommerce business plan?

The main components of an eCommerce business plan include the executive summary, company description, market analysis, organization and management structure, product line or service, marketing and sales strategy, financial projections, and funding request, if applicable.

How do I create a budget for my ecommerce business?

Start by estimating your initial startup costs and ongoing expenses. Consider costs like website development, inventory, marketing, shipping, taxes, and any necessary licenses or permits. It’s also important to factor in a contingency plan for unexpected costs.

How do I find the right product to sell?

Research is fundamental. Look at market trends, customer needs, and competitor products. Use tools like Google Trends or social media platforms to understand what customers are currently interested in. Always consider your passion and knowledge about the product too, as this can drive your business forward.

How can I differentiate my product from competitors?

Differentiation can come from unique product features, superior customer service, better pricing, or a compelling brand story. Understand what your competitors offer and how you can do it differently or better.

Wrapping Up Your Business Plan

Careful planning is crucial to get your e-commerce business from the planning phase to the launch phase and to ensure its successful future.

Going through the exercise of writing a business plan will cement your own understanding of your business and your market. It will also position you to take advantage of lucrative opportunities while mitigating harmful threats to your business down the line.

Your turn! Have you written a business plan for your online store? Do you have anything to add? Tell us about it in the comments below!

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• Business plans

Ecommerce Business Plan Template

Used 5,221 times

This Ecommerce Business Plan Template is tailored particularly to e-commerce companies, and all you require to do is add the elements related to your business.

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Prepared by:

​ [Sender.FirstName] [Sender.LastName] ​

​ [Sender.Title] [Sender.Company] ​

​ [Sender.Phone] [Sender.Email] ​

Business Overview

​ [Sender.Company] is headquartered at [Sender.StreetAddress] , [Sender.City] , [Sender.State] [Sender.PostalCode] and operates in the (industry) . [Sender.Company] was founded in (month, year) by (Founder.Name).

​ [Sender.Company] seeks to offer (a general description of specific products or services to be offered) in response to what management has identified as a clear market need.

Products and Services

​ [Sender.Company] will sell (specific products or services to be sold). The products sold by [Sender.Company] will stand apart from the competition due to (explain the unique selling proposition of the product to be sold). [Sender.Company] will also provide (describe any supplementary products or services offered).

Website Design

​ [Sender.Company] will develop a website whose key elements will include the following:

About section explaining the company's mission

Database of products

Shopping cart system

Help and FAQ pages

The website will be built by an established development firm and designed by an accomplished web designer, with the process supervised by [Sender.Company] 's designated supervisor.

Management Team

​ [Sender.Company] is led by (Manager.Name) who has been in the e-commerce industry for (number) years.

Previously, (Manager.Name) worked as (job title) at (previous company) and acquired in-depth knowledge of the e-commerce industry as well as the (industry name) industry and the needs of the mass consumer.

Industry Analysis

​ [Sender.Company] has conducted a thorough analysis of the industry and discovered the following statistics that bode well for the business:

(Provide point-by-point statistics that illustrate the opportunity for your business e.g., growth projections for the e-commerce industry and your specific niche, consumer survey results, cost projections, etc.)

Customer Analysis

​ [Sender.Company] ’s target market is comprised primarily of (describe your ideal customer) .

The demographics of these customers are as follows:

The average income of $XX, XXX

XX% work in (industry)

XX% (married/single)

The median age of XX years

Strong desire for (a specific type of product/service you sell)

Competitor Analysis

There are numerous competitors in the industry in which [Sender.Company] will operate. The most noteworthy competitors consist of:

(List 2-3 competitors and include a brief description of their history, the scope of their businesses, and some noteworthy facts and stats.)

Competitive Advantage

​ [Sender.Company] is positioned for success because:

There are a limited number of competitors.

There's no one selling the exact product/service that [Sender.Company] offers.

The management team is seasoned and has a strong track record of success.

The product/service is on trend, and the industry is growing.

Marketing Strategy

​ [Sender.Company] plans to leverage several strategical prongs to achieve success in its marketing strategy.

Brand Strategy

​ [Sender.Company] will consistently focus its marketing efforts on the brand's unique value proposition, consisting of:

(Describe what makes your product or service stand apart from your competitors)

Promotional Strategy

(List some of the channels or methods your company will use to promote itself, e.g., SEO, email marketing, paid advertising, social media outreach, affiliates, etc.)

Pricing Strategy

​ [Sender.Company] 's pricing, is based on comprehensive market research, and it has been determined that our pricing is fair and attractive compared to competitor offerings.

(State the specific pricing or the general price range of products to be offered.)

Operational Plan

​ [Sender.Company] has determined that the following roles are essential for the success of the company:

(List some of the departments and roles that will need to be in place to operate the business.)

​ [Sender.Company] believes it is reasonable to expect completion of the following milestones at the following times:

(State when you expect the milestone to be completed.)

(Briefly describe what the milestone is e.g., the website goes live, marketing campaigns launch, products ship, etc.)

Financial Projections

​ [Sender.Company] is seeking total funding of $(amount) to launch its business. The capital will be used for (state what funding will be used e.g., building the website, hiring personnel, working capital, marketing, etc.)

Specifically, these funds will be used as follows:

Hiring a content production team: approximately $(amount of money)

Marketing: approximately $(amount of money) design/build and startup business expenses: approximately $120,000

​ [Sender.Company] 's financial projections for the next (number) years are as follows:

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Ecommerce Business Plan

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Ecommerce Business Plan Template

Whether you are planning to start a new ecommerce business or grow your existing ecommerce business, you’ve come to the right place to write an ecommerce business plan.

We have helped over 10,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create ecommerce business plans and many have used them to start or grow their own ecommerce businesses.

Sample Ecommerce Business Plan

Below is a sample of each of the key elements of an ecommerce business plan template to help you write your own business plan:

Executive Summary

Business overview.

TrendyFit.com is a startup ecommerce store that sells fitness clothes and accessories for the young, trendy, and stylish individual who enjoys working out and staying fit. The clothes are unique and designed to fit the latest trends of the most popular online YouTube or TikTok celebrities, yet functional and comfortable for working out at the gym or just hanging out. All products are made in the United States, are made with the highest quality fabric, and come with a money-back customer guarantee if the fit or style doesn’t satisfy the customer. TrendyFit.com is sold exclusively online; no retailers will be carrying any TrendyFit.com products.

TrendyFit.com is owned by Devon Ming. Devon will utilize a dropshipping company to receive all orders placed on TrendyFit.com, fulfill the order, and ship directly to the consumers. Devon will also employ a team of three creative designers to develop the website and social media presence by utilizing targeted social media ads and will recruit social media influencers as brand ambassadors. Devon will also employ a team of two customer service representatives to ensure complete customer satisfaction.

Product Offering

The following are the services to be offered by TrendyFit.com:

• Fitness clothing
• Fitness accessories such as socks, headbands, and wrist wraps
• Foam rollers

Customer Focus

TrendyFit.com will target all fitness enthusiasts and trendsetters in the United States and internationally. The target market will be social media savvy and spend a large portion of their day browsing through their social media sites. The ideal customer will be young, either in high school or college, a working professional, or a gym rat who frequents the trendiest fitness gyms and establishments.

Management Team

Devon Ming is a graduate of Harvard University’s Business School and after graduation, has spent the last three years developing the brand image, vision, and researching products for TrendyFit.com. Devon wanted to utilize his Master’s degree in Business Strategy & Marketing, and has devoted all of his time and energy into launching his ecommerce store.

As CEO of TrendyFit.com, Devon will oversee the strategy and development of the company. He will be in constant communication with the dropshipper, creative team, and customer service representatives. He will also focus on strategic growth and the long term vision of the company.

Success Factors

TrendyFit.com is primed for success by offering the following competitive advantages:

• Most cost-effective trendy fitness apparel option compared to competition.
• Trendiest and most innovative fitness fashion designs available anywhere.
• 100% customer satisfaction money back guarantee with every product sold.
• A portion of all proceeds will go towards socially-conscious causes and non-profit charities.

Financial Highlights

TrendyFit.com is seeking $200,000 in debt financing to launch TrendyFit.com. The funding will be dedicated for the down payment with the dropshipping company, three months of payroll expenses for the creative team and customer service representatives, and any business licensing necessary. There will also be funding dedicated to the social media campaign and website development. The breakout of the funding is below:

• Dropshipper Good Faith Down Payment: $50,000
• Payroll Expenses for Creative Team and Customer Service Reps (3 mos): $60,000
• Social Media Campaign & Website Development: $80,000
• Contingency and any necessary licensing: $10,000

The following graph below outlines the pro forma financial projections for TrendyFit.com.

Company Overview

Who is trendyfit.com.

TrendyFit.com is a startup ecommerce store that sells fitness clothes and accessories for the young, trendy, and stylish individual who enjoys working out and staying fit. The clothes are unique and designed to fit the latest trends of the most popular online YouTube or TikTok celebrities, yet functional and comfortable for working out at the gym or just hanging out. All products are made in the United States and come with a money-back customer guarantee if the fit or style doesn’t satisfy the customer. TrendyFit.com is sold exclusively online; no retailers will be carrying any TrendyFit.com products.

TrendyFit.com is owned by CEO Devon Ming and will be sold exclusively through a dropshipper that has agreed to fulfill all product orders placed by TrendyFit.com and ship within the continental United States in 2-3 business days and within one week to anywhere outside of the continental United States. Devon has placed his pricing model to be competitive with other popular online fitness clothing retailers, but more affordable as the base of his customers will be young and not have as much disposable income as other individuals outside of the target market.

TrendyFit.com History

Devon Ming has spent the last three years developing the brand image, vision, and researching products for TrendyFit.com. After graduating from college with a Master’s degree in Business Strategy & Marketing, Devon has devoted all of his time and energy into launching his ecommerce store.

Since incorporation, TrendyFit.com has achieved the following milestones:

• Registered the domain name TrendyFit.com.
• Developed the brand image, logo, and mission statement for TrendyFit.com.
• Signed a dropshipping agreement with the company who will manufacture, fulfill order, and ship all items sold on TrendyFit.com.
• Began a social media campaign to develop hype for the upcoming brand.

TrendyFit.com Products

TrendyFit.com will offer the following ecommerce products:

Industry Analysis

As a result of a significant shift from traditional retail to online retail, the E-Commerce industry is expected to grow to over $835 billion in the next five years.  Data shows that consumers prefer the convenience of finding, comparing and purchasing products online easily and quickly.

The industry’s main drivers include faster internet speeds,  an increase in mobile internet connections, accelerating per capita disposable income growth and the continued surge in internet traffic volume.

Strong economic conditions will also aid retailers that purchase inventory from overseas, while revenue growth and wage growth are expected to continue their strong trajectory over the next five years as technology continues to boost worker productivity.

The greatest opportunity for growth will come from product categories that were traditionally dominated by brick-and-mortar shopping, including groceries, major appliance products and clothing.

Customer Analysis

Demographic profile of target market, customer segments.

TrendyFit.com will primarily target the following customer profiles:

• High school students
• College students
• Young working professionals
• Fitness enthusiasts
• Trendsetters who focus on the fitness industry

Competitive Analysis

TrendyFit.com will face competition from other ecommerce businesses with a similar company profile. A summary of the competitor companies is below.

Direct and Indirect Competitors

Nike is a popular consumer products company that designs, develops, and markets their product line of footwear, apparel, equipment, and accessory products worldwide. It designs athletic, casual, and leisure footwear for men, women, and children. Nike’s footwear products include running, training, basketball, football, soccer, sport-inspired urban shoes, and children’s shoes. Nike, named for the greek goddess of Victory, also markets sports-inspired products for children and various competitive and recreational activities. Nike also sells sportswear under the Converse brand. The company, which generates some 60% of sales outside the US, sells through more than 1,090-owned retail stores worldwide and an e-commerce site, and to thousands of retail accounts, independent distributors, licensees and sales representatives. Customers in North America account for about 40% of total revenue.

Nike is headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon and was initially founded as Blue Ribbon Sports in 1962. The company rebranded as Nike in 1972 and the company went public in 1980.

Under Armour

Under Armour makes performance clothes for doing battle on the sports field and in the gym. The company offered collegiate, National Football League (“NFL”) and National Basketball Association (“NBA”) apparel and accessories, baby and youth apparel, team uniforms, socks, water bottles, eyewear and other specific hard goods equipment that feature performance advantages and functionality similar to our other product offerings. The company also makes technology that helps customers track their fitness. It sells online, by catalog, and through retail and outlet stores worldwide. Under Armour operates worldwide but generates most of its revenue in North America.

Under Armour’s marketing and promotion strategy begins with providing and selling their products to high-performing athletes and teams at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. They execute this strategy through outfitting agreements, professional, club, and collegiate sponsorship, individual athlete and influencer agreements and by providing and selling their products directly to team equipment managers and to individual athletes.

Under Armour was founded in Washington, DC, in 1996 and moved to Baltimore, Maryland, two years later. It promoted apparel specifically for athletes, fabric designed to keep them cool when it is hot and keep them warm when it is cold. It continued focusing on the sports world, inking supplier or licensing deals with the NHL, MLB, and USA Baseball in the early 2000s. Under Armour went public in 2005. The following year the company moved into footwear with a line of football cleats; it eventually became the official footwear supplier to the NFL.

Lululemon athletica inc. is a designer, distributor and retailer of lifestyle inspired athletic apparel and accessories. The Company’s segments include Company-operated stores and direct to consumer. Its apparel assortment includes items such as pants, shorts, tops, and jackets designed for a healthy lifestyle including athletic activities such as yoga, running, training, and other sweaty pursuits. It also offers fitness-related accessories. Its direct to consumer segment includes electronic commerce website www.lululemon.com, other country and region-specific websites, and mobile applications, including mobile applications on in-store devices. Its Company-operated stores include approximately 491 stores. Its Company-operated stores are branded lululemon and Ivivva. The Ivivva branded stores specializes in athletic wear for female youth. It also offers weekly live classes, on-demand workouts and one-on-one personal training through its subsidiary.

Competitive Advantage

TrendyFit.com will be able to offer the following competitive advantages over their competition:

Marketing Plan

Brand & value proposition.

TrendyFit.com will offer the unique value proposition to its clientele:

• All materials are made in the United States and made with the highest quality material.

Promotions Strategy

The promotions strategy for TrendyFit.com is as follows:

Social Media

TrendyFit.com will blow up social media sites with targeted ads and TrendyFit.com will be seen on all major social media sites (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, SnapChat, etc.). A large portion of the funding will go towards purchasing targeted ads and having a creative team to develop the social media advertising.

Website & SEO Marketing

Devon’s creative team will also develop a professionally designed and visually appealing website to gear customers to when they click on the social media ad. The website will have a gallery of all the available products, shipping information, return information, FAQ’s, etc. The SEO will also be managed to ensure that anyone searching “trendy fitness apparel” or “trendy clothes for young adults”, will see TrendyFit.com listed at the top of the Bing or Google search engine.

Brand Ambassadors

TrendyFit.com will recruit a team of social media influencers who have over 100k followers on at least one social media site. By having the brand ambassadors post of TrendyFit.com and wear the clothing, TrendyFit.com will gain a massive amount of followers because one of their favorite internet celebrities is wearing the brand. The brand ambassadors will include a code in their post and will be paid a portion of revenue for whomever purchases from TrendyFit.com using that code.

Pricing Strategy

The pricing of TrendyFit.com will be moderate and on par with competitors, so customers feel they receive value when purchasing its products.

Operations Plan

The following will be the operations plan of TrendyFit.com.

Operation Functions:

• Devon Ming will be Owner and CEO of TrendyFit.com. He will be in charge of strategy, growth, product design, and dropshipper communication.
• Two Customer Service Representatives to answer customer calls, emails, returns, and any other customer issues.
• Team of three Creative Designers to develop the website, social media posts, photography, SEO, and targeted ad campaigns on social media sites.
• TrendyFit.com will have an agreement in place with a dropshipper who will fulfill all product orders and ship them directly to the consumer. TrendyFit.com will not have its own warehouse, all product inventory and shipping will go through the dropshipper.

Milestones:

TrendyFit.com will have the following milestones completed in the next six months.

6/1/202X – Finalize agreement with dropshipping company for them to receive orders directly from TrendyFit.com website, fulfill them, and ship straight to consumers.

6/10/202X – Hire team of Creative Designers to begin design work on the TrendyFit.com website and social media platforms.

7/15/202X – Begin social media campaign for TrendyFit.com.

8/1/202X – Recruit team of brand ambassadors.

8/15/202X – Hire team of Customer Service Representatives.

9/1/202X – TrendyFit.com website officially launches and goes live. Customers are now able to place orders on TrendyFit.com.

Devon Ming will be the Owner and CEO of TrendyFit.com.

Devon Ming, Owner

Devon Ming is a native of San Jose, California and attended college in Cambridge, Massachusetts at Harvard University. After subsequently being accepted into Harvard’s prestigious business school and graduating, Devon spent the next three years developing the brand image, vision, and researching products for TrendyFit.com. Devon wanted to utilize his Master’s degree in Business Strategy & Marketing, and has devoted all of his time and energy into launching his ecommerce store.

As CEO of TrendyFit.com, Devon will oversee the strategy and development of the company. He will be in constant communication with the dropshipper, creative team, and customer service representatives. He values the customer service representatives as much as the rest of the team because he wants to get involved on customer feedback and any issues they are having. He can then implement those issues and feedback to the creative team and adjust product design if necessary. He will also ensure complete customer satisfaction and make sure the dropshipper is aware of any customer issues with product packaging and delivery.

As TrendyFit.com becomes more and more popular, Devon will be prepared for growth and hire a CFO when necessary and when the company is able to afford to do so. When the company is primed for growth and its dominance in the market is made, Devon and future CFO will strategize on a plan to take the company public.

Financial Plan

Key revenue & costs.

The revenue drivers for TrendyFit.com will be the revenue obtained from all products sold on TrendyFit.com.

The cost drivers will be the cost to maintain the dropshipper per the contract. The dropshipper will receive fees on all products it fulfills and ships. Other cost drivers will be the salaries for the creative team and customer service representatives. Lastly, other cost drivers will be the costs for purchasing targeted ads on various social media sites and maintaining the website.

Funding Requirements and Use of Funds

Key assumptions.

The following outlines the key assumptions required in order to achieve the revenue and cost numbers in the financials and in order to pay off the startup business loan.

• Number of Initial Visitors to TrendyFit.com per Month: 1,000
• Revenue per Month: $50,000

Financial Projections

Income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement, free business plan template pdf for an e-commerce business.

You can download our free e-commerce business plan template PDF here . This is a business plan template you can use in PDF format. You can easily complete your ecommerce business plan using our Ecommerce Business Plan Template here .

Ecommerce Business Plan FAQs

What is an ecommerce business plan.

An e-commerce business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your online business. Among other things, it outlines your business idea , identifies your target customers, presents your marketing strategies and details your financial projections.

What are the Essential Steps to Launch a Successful Ecommerce Business?

Launching an e-commerce business is an exciting venture with the potential for substantial rewards. To maximize your chances of success, follow this strategic roadmap.

1. Conduct In-Depth Market Research: Thoroughly analyze your target market, identify consumer pain points, and discover product gaps. This research will be the cornerstone of your business strategy, informing product selection, pricing, and marketing efforts.

2. Craft a Compelling Business Plan: Develop a solid business plan outlining your business goals, target audience, unique value proposition, business model, sales strategies, and financial projections. This document will serve as your roadmap and a valuable tool for attracting potential investors or securing loans.

3. Choose a Profitable Product Niche: Select a product niche that aligns with your passion and possesses strong market demand. Consider factors such as competition, profit margins, and scalability when making your decision.

4. Build a Strong Brand Identity: Create a memorable brand name, logo, and visual identity that resonates with your target audience. Develop a compelling brand story to foster customer loyalty and emotional connections.

5. Develop a User-Centric E-commerce Store: Design an online store that is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and optimized for conversions. Prioritize fast loading times, clear product descriptions, high-quality images, and secure checkout processes.

6. Source Reliable Suppliers: Establish relationships with reputable suppliers who can provide high-quality products at competitive prices. Consider factors such as order fulfillment times, shipping options, and return policies.

7. Optimize Pricing Strategy: Conduct thorough market research to determine competitive pricing for your products. Implement effective pricing strategies, such as discounts, promotions, and tiered pricing, to maximize revenue and profitability.

8. Masterful Marketing and Promotion: Develop a comprehensive marketing strategy that leverages various sales channels, including social media, search engine optimization (SEO), email marketing, and paid advertising. Create compelling content that engages your target audience and drives traffic to your store.

9. Fulfill Orders Efficiently: Implement a streamlined order fulfillment process to ensure timely and accurate delivery of products. Consider using order management software and partnering with reliable shipping carriers.

10. Prioritize Customer Satisfaction: Build a strong customer support system to address inquiries and resolve issues promptly. Encourage customer feedback and implement improvements based on customer insights.

By following these steps and continuously adapting to market trends, you can build a thriving e-commerce business that generates sustainable profits.

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Ecommerce Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 10,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their ecommerce businesses. On this page, we will first give you some background information with regards to the importance of business planning. We will then go through an ecommerce business plan template step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Ecommerce Business Plan Template here >

What is an eCommerce Business Plan?

An ecommerce business plan is a detailed and comprehensive document that outlines the strategies, objectives, and operational blueprint of an online business. It serves as a roadmap guiding the company’s operations and growth within the dynamic and competitive digital marketplace. The plan typically covers various aspects, including market analysis, target audience identification, product or service offerings, marketing and sales strategies, competitive analysis, financial projections, and risk assessments.

Why You Need a Business Plan for an eCommerce Business

If you’re looking to start an ecommerce business or grow your existing ecommerce business you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your ecommerce business in order to improve your chances of success. Your ecommerce business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

Source of Funding for Ecommerce Businesses

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for an ecommerce business are bank loans and angel investors. With regards to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to confirm that your financials are reasonable. But they will want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business.

The second most common form of funding for an ecommerce business is angel investors. Angel investors are wealthy individuals who will write you a check. They will either take equity in return for their funding, or, like a bank, they will give you a loan.

Venture capitalists will fund an ecommerce business but not in its infancy. You will need to first achieve sales traction. Once you do that venture capitalists might invest $2 million to $100 million into your business over time.

Finish Your Business Plan Today!

Below are the 10 sections a sample ecommerce business plan should include:

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of ecommerce business you are operating and the status; for example, are you a startup or do you have an ecommerce business that you would like to grow further.

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan. For example, give a brief overview of the ecommerce business industry. Discuss the type of ecommerce business you are operating. Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers. Provide a snapshot of your marketing plan. Identify the key members of your team. And offer an overview of your financial plan.

Company Analysis

In your company analysis, you will detail the type of ecommerce business you are operating.

For example, you might operate one of the following types of ecommerce businesses.

Ecommerce businesses based on businesses model:

• Drop Shipping: you sell the product on your website and the product’s supplier fulfills it
• Wholesaling And Warehousing: you sell the product on your website and the fulfill it yourself (through your own warehouse and systems)
• Private Labeling And Manufacturing: you sell the product on your website and you manufacture it yourself or have someone manufacture it for you
• White Labeling: you sell the product on your website and have someone manufacture it for you (but unlike private label, your product is not unique; the manufacturer is also creating the product under other brand names)
• Subscription: you sell the product or service on your website on a subscription basis (customer pays you every week/month/year)

Ecommerce businesses based on customer model:

• Business-to-Business (B2B): your business is selling to other businesses
• Business-to-Consumer (B2C): your business is selling to consumers
• Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C): your business provides a platform for consumers to sell to other consumers (e.g., eBay)
• Consumer-to-Business (C2B): your business provides a platform for consumers to sell to businesses
• Business-to-Government/Administration (B2A): your business is selling to governments or administrative agencies
• Consumer-to-Government/Administration (C2A): your business provides a platform for consumers to sell or communicate with governments or administrative agencies

In addition to explaining the type of ecommerce business you operate, the Company Analysis section of your business plan needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to question such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include sales goals you’ve reached, customer milestones, etc.
• Your legal structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry analysis, you need to provide an overview of the ecommerce business.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the ecommerce business industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating.

Secondly, market research can improve your strategy particularly if your research identifies market trends. For example, if there was a trend towards subscription businesses, it would be helpful to ensure your plan calls for offering subscription options.

The third reason for market research is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your ecommerce business plan:

• How big is the ecommerce business (in dollars)?
• Is the market declining or increasing?
• Who are the key competitors in the market?
• Who are the key suppliers in the market?
• What trends are affecting the industry?
• What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
• What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential market for your ecommerce business. You can figure out your relevant market size by multiplying the amount of target customers by the amount they might spend on a product or service like yours each year.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section of your ecommerce business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: college students, sports enthusiasts, soccer moms, techies, teens, baby boomers, manufacturing plants, state government agencies, etc.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of ecommerce business you operate. Clearly baby boomers would want a different offering and branding than teens or government agencies.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, include a discussion of the ages, genders, locations and income levels of the customers you seek to serve.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can understand and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.

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Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other ecommerce businesses.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from you that aren’t direct competitors. This includes offline stores or other ecommerce companies that offer similar products or services. You need to mention such competition to show you understand that not everyone who needs the products or services you provide will frequent a business like yours.

With regards to direct competition, you want to detail the other ecommerce businesses with which you compete. For each such competitor, provide an overview of their businesses and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as:

• What types of customers do they serve?
• What products do they offer?
• What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
• What are they good at?
• What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And check product review websites to learn what your competitors’ customers like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

• Will you provide superior ecommerce services?
• Will you provide ecommerce business products/services that your competitors don’t offer?
• Will you make it easier or faster for customers to acquire your products/services?
• Will you provide better customer service?
• Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For an ecommerce business plan, your marketing plan should include the following:

Product/Service : in the product section you should reiterate the type of ecommerce business that you documented in your Company Analysis. Then, detail the specific products and/or services you will be offering.

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of your marketing plan, you are presenting the menu of items you offer/will offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the location of your ecommerce business. In general, the place for an online business is well, online. But if there is a physical component to your business, document that here.

Promotions : the final part of your ecommerce business marketing plan is the promotions section. Here you will document how you will drive customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Search engine optimization
• Search engine marketing
• Traditional public relations
• Reaching out to local bloggers and websites
• Advertising in physical newspapers, magazines, radio and television
• Partnerships with other websites and/or organizations

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your ecommerce business such as warehousing, invoicing, serving customers, procuring supplies, etc.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to serve your 10,000th customer, or when you hope to reach $X in sales. It could also be when you expect to hire your Xth employee or launch a new product or service.

Management Team

To demonstrate your ecommerce business’s ability to succeed as a business, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company.

Ideally you and/or your team members have direct experience in the ecommerce business. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act like mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in ecommerce businesses and/or successfully running retail businesses.

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statements.

Income Statement : an income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenues and then subtracts your costs to show whether you turned a profit or not.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you serve 100 customers per day or 200? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets : While balance sheets include much information, to simplify them to the key items you need to know about, balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. For instance, if you spend $100,000 on building out your ecommerce business, that will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a bank writes you a check for $100.000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement : Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and make sure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt. For example, let’s say a company approached you with a massive $100,000 contract, that would cost you $50,000 to fulfill. Well, in most cases, you would have to pay that $50,000 now to fulfill the contract. But let’s say the company didn’t pay you for 180 days. During that 180-day period, you could run out of money.

In developing your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing an ecommerce business:

• Website and technology build out
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Taxes and permits
• Legal expenses

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include agreements you’ve negotiated with developers, manufacturers and/or employees.

Ecommerce Business Plan Summary

Putting together a business plan for your ecommerce business is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the online store business plan template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert. You will really understand the ecommerce business, your competition and your customers. You will have developed a marketing plan and will really understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful ecommerce business.

Download Our Ecommerce Business Plan PDF

You can download our ecommerce business plan PDF . This is a business plan template you can use in PDF format to help you get started on your own business plan.

Don’t you wish there was a faster, easier way to finish your Ecommerce business plan?

OR, Let Us Develop Your Plan For You

Since 1999, Growthink has developed business plans for thousands of companies who have gone on to achieve tremendous success.   See how Growthink’s business plan advisors can give you a winning business plan.

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We have over 550 sample business plan templates . So, make sure the plan is a close match, but don't get hung up on the details.

Your business is unique and will differ from any example or template you come across. So, use this example as a starting point and customize it to your needs.

2. Remember it's just an example

Our sample business plans are examples of what one business owner did. That doesn't make them perfect or require you to cram your business idea to fit the plan structure.

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As the saying goes, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” So, if you wish to build your own eCommerce empire, having an eCommerce business plan is crucial to your success.

Why Should You Continue Reading This Article?

But maybe you have no idea where to start. Of course, you don’t want to leave out something important. In this article, we’ll show you how to build an eCommerce business plan and discuss how to write it in a well-crafted, simple way from scratch, for your eCommerce small business and what are the key elements that should be included in it.

Let’s get started!

Why You Need an eCommerce Business Plan

Abraham Lincoln once said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe” So, planning is almost everything you should start with.

Although it can be hard work to put together a comprehensive eCommerce business plan, it’s such an important step for the below-mentioned four reasons:

• Establishing a Clear Roadmap:  Well-written strategic planning will help you set clear goals and set an action plan to reach them. It will also help you to set priorities and realistically estimate the time and effort needed to achieve them.
• Being Ready for Any Sudden Changes:  Change in the eCommerce business world is happening quicker than ever before. And this increases the value of planning. Having a data-driven business plan gave managers a dashboard to work with navigated sudden change.
• Securing Funding: If you are looking for a loan or an equity investment for your startup, getting a business plan document right is essential because an organization that will provide the money wants to make sure that you know what you are doing and have a clear path to profit.
• Avoiding Costly Mistakes: If you are considering setting up a small business with limited resources, having a startup business plan helps you know exactly what resources are needed to avoid wasting resources down the drain and to make the most of them.

Before You Start Planning: 3 Key Questions to Answer

To build a well-written online business plan sample, you need to answer the following questions:

• What Are You Selling?  Are you selling physical products (i.e apparel, home appliances, etc.), digital products (i.e online courses, ebooks, software, etc.), or services (i.e marketing services, consulting, car repair, etc.)?
• For Whom?  Do you sell to individuals (B2C) or organizations, corporations, and non-profits (B2B) or are you are a part of a marketplace acting as a broker just like affiliate marketing?.
• Who Are Your Suppliers? Do you manufacture your products in-house, or outsource a third-party manufacturer? Do you partner with a dropshipping manufacturer or do you depend on wholesale?

With great data comes a great business plan. Answering this line of questioning will give you an initial overview of what your business is and it’ll be like a starting point.

How to Structure a Business Plan for Your Online Store

Let’s agree from the start that the business plan will not be perfectly completed on the first try. It will continue to evolve as you create each of the planning stages and you’ll be making edits along the way.

For an eCommerce business plan example, there are six basic sections it should include, Let’s delve deeper…

Let’s delve deeper…

1. Executive Summary

Any e-Commerce business plan should start with an executive summary of just one sheet summarizing each section of your business plan. Although it is placed at the beginning, it should be the last section to be written.

The executive summary is the first thing your prospect investors would read, and it creates the first impression of your project. So, make it simple, easy to understand, and attractive.

The executive summary should include:

• Business ideas presentation
• Business model
• Products and services
• Target audience and target market
• Management team
• Success factors or the points that differentiate your company
• Financial strategy

2.  Company Overview

This is the next section that includes detailed information about your business and identified the competitive advantage of your online store. It covers some features such as:

• Brand Name and Founder’s Name: Your online store name and who is behind it.
• Brand Traits: List just 3 to 5 words that describe the brand that you want your online store to be identified with.
• Domain Name: It’s the URL. It should be short, simple, memorable, and doesn’t include numbers.
• Company Type: How your business operates.
• Value Proposition: It’s a brief statement that shows how clear your idea is.
• Mission Statement: The reasons behind your business’ existence.
• Vision: The goals that you want to reach long term. They must be realistic and ambitious so they can be motivating.

3. Market  Analysis

Conducting market research around your eCommerce small business idea is essential. It tells you whether or not people will buy what you’re selling.

Market analysis is broken down into 3 main sections:

A. industry analysis:.

Industry analysis outlines the industry size facts and statistics bode well for your eCommerce business. It answers questions like:

• What does the market look like for your industry overall?
• Has it grown or changed over the years?
• Are there any expectations of growing up or slipping down in the future?
• Are there factors that could impact its growth?

Industry analysis is likely to be one of the toughest parts of your eCommerce business plan, but fortunately, research and white papers are abundant in almost all industries, besides free tools like Google Trends .

B . Market Segment:

The market segment or audience segmentation helps you to create your “Buyer Persona” which represents your target audiences’ various demographic sets (gender, age, geography, education, income level, ethnicity, etc.). The market segment includes both your target market and niche selection.

It’s important to provide an overview of your niche, whether there’s a micro-niche included, and why you chose it.

C. Competitive Analysis:

Competitive Analysis provides an overview of who is your market leaders are and direct, indirect, and potential competitors. It also identifies your competitors’ key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, focusing particularly on where you can defeat the competition or add unique value to your business.

Creating a comprehensive competitive analysis includes 4 key phrases that are:

• Identify Your Competitors
• Select a Competitive Analysis Framework
• Collect Data on Your Competitors
• Write Your Competitive Analysis Report

4.  Marketing Plan

By now, you’ve covered almost all your company-related aspects, your customers, and your competitors as well. It’s time to talk about how you’re going to reach your customers and drive traffic to your eCommerce website.

The marketing plan describes the planned promotion strategies, business growth strategies, pricing strategies , sales strategies, and how much can you afford to spend on your marketing efforts. To come up with a well-defined marketing strategy, you need to deeply know your customer inside out.

It’s important to keep in mind that every potential customer is different, and there are many organic and paid marketing techniques that you can use to reach each of them. From SEO, social media, content marketing, and email marketing to influencers, these proven techniques will surely  acquire customers and drive traffic to your online store .

So, this stage is all about defining:

• Which marketing channels are best for you to reach your customer?
• How much can you afford to acquire customers to your online store?

5. Operations Plan

Operational planning reflects the task flow of your eCommerce store and how they’ll be divided. It includes your daily tasks as an online store owner. Some basic things should be established, such as your work schedule, your daily tasks timetable, your location, and your product stock.

Your tasks will include:

• Offering support
• Managing the stock
• Managing returns
• Negotiating with suppliers
• Dealing with unforeseen events
• Promoting your store
• And much more

List all of your daily tasks and how your routine will be to make sure that everything in your business plan will be under control. If you are a startup and you’re the only person in charge, it’d be hard to manage all tasks. So, it’s important to have initial planning on paper, and then make small modifications down the line to hire a staff and management team.

6. Financial Plan

For many people, this is the most difficult part of a business plan. However, it’s extremely important. It outlines the major costs for an eCommerce business that include the cost of goods, internet connection fees, salaries of the staff, etc.

If you’re seeking to get outside funding, your financial statement should contain the following documents:

• Summary of Funding Requirement: It’s an outline showing why you are applying for a loan, the cost for raw materials and operational machines, and how much money you need.
• Use of Funds Statement / Income Statement: It shows how profitable your business would be during a given period and describes how you plan to use the funds you’ll get.
• Business Budget: This displays cash inflow and outflow statements over a specific period of time.
• 3-Year Profit and Loss Projection: It’s assumptions that are stated clearly and in detail to communicate your vision of the company’s future and how you anticipate achieving that vision.

5 eCommerce Business Plans’ Mistakes to Avoid in 2022

As for eCommerce owners ( whether it was for fashion, services, etc.), there are some methodologies they use to approximately estimate future turnover, profitability, and more.  But unfortunately, most of these estimations and expectations are frequently distant from market reality.

ExpandCart gathers the most common mistakes that usually happen when you put an eCommerce marketing plan into work, Let’s show you around! 

Mistake #1  |  Selecting the Improper eCommerce Platform

Whether you’re just getting started with your eCommerce shop or have been running one for a while, a not-suitable eCommerce platform can boost your eCommerce business plan or awfully put it to an end! 

After you’ve created a sample business plan for an eCommerce startup, you’ll need to think about several things when selecting an eCommerce platform, including:

• Your financial situation
• Whether you prefer a template or bespoke design, we can help.
• What type of experience do your consumers want?
• What items do you intend to sell?
• How do you intend to grow your company?
• What tools your platform needs to integrate with?
• How much control do you desire over your website?

The last thing you want is to pick a platform that restricts your company’s development, doesn’t interact with your existing systems, or doesn’t provide the amount of control and flexibility you want.

An improper eCommerce platform can result in a variety of problems, including income loss, decreased conversions, less traffic, security difficulties, bad design, and more. This major error might force you to spend even more time, money, and effort modernizing your platform or moving to a new one entirely.

Take your time while deciding on the best eCommerce platform for your online eCommerce as this will affect the whole performance of your eCommerce business plan. 

Mistake #2  |Skipping Environment Check

Before drafting an eCommerce business plan to launch or boost your e-commerce website, it’s a crucial step to start assessing the viability of your ideas before anything!

And here, we don’t mean broad market studies, but rather a comprehensive test using a limited version of your site, that will assist in ensuring in the field that you are gaining traction in your market. You must be able to tie your business strategy to the fact that you have already made your first sales even before you daft your eCommerce business plan. 

Aside from the checking and validation component, an initial test will help you to get useful feedback from your consumers and discover for yourself the major roadblocks or places for progress in your business.

You’ll be in a better position to carry out your company plan and generate realistic and plausible financial projections once you’ve completed it.

Mistake #3 | No Clear Brand Message or Identity

A good product alone won’t perform as good branding! 

Don’t fall into the trap of believing that your things will sell themselves. To build a successful business, you’ll need to develop a strong brand identity that is both approachable to your target audience and favorable to viral brand awareness. If you’ve done your research, you should have a good notion of what your target audience wants and how to communicate with them. Then it’s only a matter of maintaining a consistent and firm message.

A strong brand identity boosts client loyalty and your chances of gaining global brand recognition.

Mistake #4 | Shallow Website Content 

If your eCommerce business relies on organic traffic to attract clients, then the material on your website should be crafted with the user and SEO in mind.

Many organizations make the mistake of considering content as an afterthought, failing to see that each piece of content represents a chance to increase traffic and convert clients.

You need to provide content that is relevant to your target audience, optimized for search engine traffic, and entices consumers to buy your items, from your homepage to your product descriptions.

Investing in SEO and CRO-friendly content is worthwhile, whether you engage with an SEO service or do it yourself. This entails using the correct high-quality keywords for your niche and crafting material that is designed to convert.

Mistake #5 | Mistargeted Audience 

What else could you possibly require? You have items, a company strategy, and a website. Unfortunately, having an offer and a venue to pitch it isn’t enough to be a true eCommerce success.

One of the most common blunders a business owner can make is failing to precisely define their target demographic and spend time learning what makes them tick. You’ll need to do some serious market research to make sure that:

• Your target audience has a genuine necessity for your product. 
• You know how to express your offer in a way that they will comprehend. 
• You may create a marketing plan that prioritizes your target audience.

Identifying and specifying your target audience can help you develop an atmosphere that they will remember and a brand message that will tempt them to buy and re-buy, and hence, a successful eCommerce business plan! 

Final Notes

We are living in a world of fast-paced digital transformation. Almost all businesses are thinking of building a strong online presence. Being prepared and having a well-crafted business plan for your dream eCommerce website helps you focus on what exactly you want your business to be in the future and provides a map of how to get there in no time.

Remember! Creating your own eCommerce business plan won’t be that easy, but success comes to those willing to put in the work and if you did it right, you will witness a great increase in sales and revenue . You can seek help from experts who can help you plan your business effectively.

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