Passed on 21 May, 2025
2. Using e-commerce to sell
Whether you plan to offer a virtual version of your physical shop, or you’re just looking to accept payments online, e-commerce can be a really powerful tool. Even if you're not running your own store, understanding different e-commerce strategies can help improve your knowledge of digital marketing.
✅ Learning objectivesBy the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:Explain how e-commerce can help support your business goals.Identify methods to add e-commerce to your website.
Learning objectives
By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:
Explain how e-commerce can help support your business goals.
Identify methods to add e-commerce to your website.
Understanding E-commerce
Understanding how e-commerce works and how it can support your goals is the first step to selling online.
Why E-commerce?
E-commerce is essential for many types of businesses. Whether you're a local store expanding online or a large retailer reaching new customers, e-commerce opens up many possibilities for growth. Let’s explore why e-commerce is so valuable and how it can support different business goals.
What is E-commerce?
The term ‘e-commerce’ is another way to talk about selling things online through websites, online marketplaces, mobile apps, and social media sites. E-commerce often brings to mind a sort of retail or shop-like experience. Done well, it can help narrow the gap between a customer’s retail and online shopping experience.
E-commerce aims
E-commerce can help businesses to achieve their sales goals. These goals vary depending on the type and size of the business and can be a part of the overall digital marketing strategy.Let’s explore some examples of different e-commerce aims which support your overall digital marketing goals.
Let’s explore some examples of different e-commerce aims which support your overall digital marketing goals.
Let’s explore some examples of different e-commerce aims which support your overall digital marketing goals.
I want to offer customers the ability to send payments through the web or an app.
I want a website or app that lets people view and search my inventory.
I want customers to be able to create an account and set up recurring orders and subscriptions.
Getting started with E-commerce
Let’s find out more about different ways a business could use e-commerce.
Payment services
Easily add payment options to your website to allow customers to make quick online payments for products and services. Many payment solutions support credit cards, direct debit, and digital wallets (like Google Pay and Apple Pay), allowing customers to pay securely without setting up an account.
Off-the-shelf solutions
If you’re starting to sell online, you might try an off-the-shelf service that includes e-commerce. These services usually offer templates so you can easily add product pages to your website. Depending on the investment you want to make, you could even opt for a customised e-commerce service. Many have features like product search, inventory management, checkout, customer accounts, order management, and more.
Online catalogue
Offline customers can browse items on display. While online, customers should be able to see those same products by clicking around the pages of your online shop. Bring your products to life with lots of photos, detailed descriptions, customer reviews, and even videos of the products. High-quality imagery and well-written content are your online product display.
Helpful resources
To find out more about payment services and off-the-shelf e-commerce solutions, check out theHelpful Resourcesmodule at the end of the course, or try an online search.
E-commerce in practice
Spend some time completing the activity on this page. It will provide a foundation for the lessons that follow.
✅ ActivityConsider how e-commerce could benefit your business or a business you are familiar with. Set an aim and some goals for taking payments and selling products and services online.Check the items off as you go.Revisit the digital marketing strategy, goals, and customer persona you created during theDigital Marketing StrategyandDigital Customermodules.Identify an e-commerce aim that supports your strategy.Remind yourself how to write a SMART goal by revisiting theDigital Marketing Strategymodule.Set 2-3 SMART goals that support your e-commerce aim.
Activity
Consider how e-commerce could benefit your business or a business you are familiar with. Set an aim and some goals for taking payments and selling products and services online.
Revisit the digital marketing strategy, goals, and customer persona you created during theDigital Marketing StrategyandDigital Customermodules.
Identify an e-commerce aim that supports your strategy.
Remind yourself how to write a SMART goal by revisiting theDigital Marketing Strategymodule.
Set 2-3 SMART goals that support your e-commerce aim.
Download PDF
Download PDF
Check your knowledge
It's time for you to check and reflect on what you've learned so far.
Question 1 of 1
You own a furniture store. How can you update your existing website to start selling products online?
Add a new page about the business founder
Create an online catalogue with high-quality images
Add a payment service so customers can make online payments
Set up a page for customers to leave reviews
Submit
Submit
Yes.To start selling products online, you can update an existing business website by adding a payment service, creating an online catalogue with high-quality images, and setting up a page for customers to leave reviews.
Lesson complete
You now know what e-commerce is, how a business can get started with e-commerce, and how e-commerce can support business goals.Head to the next lesson to discover more about taking payments and managing orders.
Head to the next lesson to discover more about taking payments and managing orders.
Head to the next lesson to discover more about taking payments and managing orders.