eCommerce Business Plan

Do you often come across instances when you or the people around you need a specific product, not available in a nearby market?

Do you have good marketing skills? And, do you want to own a retail business without the hassles of operating a physical store? Then an e-commerce business might be the best option for you.

Having an e-commerce business allows you to introduce innovative products and have a wide variety of customers from all different locations. Also, it saves you the trouble of owning a physical store.

But at the same time, an e-commerce business needs meticulous planning of procedures right from attracting the attention of your target audience to after-delivery services. And if you want to find out what your business can gain from a business plan and specifically, how to write one, read on.

How can an eCommerce business plan help you?

Though an e-commerce store is a lucrative business in today’s internet economy, it can have several loopholes if not managed properly. From misshapen return policies to a shortage of delivery fleet, an unplanned e-commerce business is no less than a disaster.

On the other hand, a well-planned business can make your business dream come true. A plan can help you have a proper budget, a good marketing strategy, a well-managed team, and skillfully designed policies.

Most importantly, it can help you have clear business strategies and precise goals. And having clarity can help you conduct your business easily.

eCommerce Business Plan Outline

This is the standard eCommerce business plan outline which will cover all important sections that you should include in your business plan.

After getting started with upmetrics, you can copy this eCommerce business plan example into your business plan and modify the required information and download your eCommerce business plan pdf and doc file. It's the fastest and easiest way to start writing your business plan.

How to write an eCommerce business plan?

With a little help and a good amount of research, you can easily write an effective e-commerce business plan. 

You can either take help from a professional, a premade template, or an online business plan software. An online business plan software helps you write a customizable plan from anywhere and at any time. 

Apart from that, market research, a good financial plan, a well-defined operational strategy, and a fair amount of critical analysis can help you write a good business plan.

What to include in an eCommerce business plan?

A well-written business plan consists of thorough and honest details about your business. You can write a well-rounded business plan by including the following sections:

1. Executive Summary

The executive summary section of your business plan sums up your business idea, it forms the first page of your business plan and if written properly it can help you in gaining an investor’s confidence. And eventually, in getting funded.

It consists of the following subsections: 

• Business Overview
• Mission Statement
• Financial Highlights

2. Business Overview

This section would give an overview of all the aspects of your business including:

• What your business stands for
• Your business history
• A detailed description of your range of products and services
• Your website design

3. Competitive and Industry Analysis

Analyzing the industry and your competitors before planning your business model can act as a big plus. 

It helps you understand the market gaps, trends, strategies your competitors follow, how your products and services stand apart from theirs, etc.

For example, you can have a better return and exchange policy or faster delivery and turn that into your USP. But you can only know what your competitors do and do not offer if you carry out a thorough industry and competitive analysis.

You can include the following subsegments in this section:

• Market Trends
• Competitive strategies
• Competitive analysis

4. Website Technology

This segment is especially important for e-commerce businesses. Having a good website design that is easy to navigate through can be of great help to your e-commerce business. 

Hence, it is important to have a solid initial design as well as a timeline for updates.

A good website technology would focus on the following:

• A proper user interface
• Smooth Navigation
• Search Engine Optimization

And most importantly, a personal touch, can either be the copywriting, the graphics, the user interaction technology, innovative pop-ups, etc. Anything that’ll help in building your brand image.

5. Marketing Plan

A marketing plan is crucial for any business. It not only lets people know of your existence but reminds them of it regularly. 

Hence, a good marketing plan would not only make you known but memorable as well.

It would consist of the following subsegments:

• Target Market 
• Market segmentation
• Market Positioning
• Advertising strategy

6. Management Team

A good management system is especially important for an e-commerce business as it solely functions on good structure and management. This section includes roles and responsibilities of various people at different levels and a tracking system of progress.

It would consist of the following subsegments:

• Roles and responsibilities of various people
• Performance report

7. Financial Plan

A financial plan in the initial stages is crucial for any business. It prevents your business from failing due to cash flow and funding problems. It is a major deciding factor of your business’s growth and success.

It would consist of the following subsections:

• Cash flow management
• Funding sources
• Forecasted profit

eCommerce business plan summary

In conclusion, a good business plan can save you from having major setbacks and loopholes in your e-commerce business. Everything ranging from cash crunches to a bad management system can be put right through a plan.

But for your plan to work, you must execute it flawlessly, and more importantly, start writing one!