How to launch an online store?

It is generally accepted that opening an online store is one of the lines of business. Not everyone agrees with this. An online store is, first of all, a tool that an entrepreneur uses to carry out commercial activities. An online store can be thought of as a virtual showcase for your product. It is he who is the basis of the business along with the service that you can offer your clients.

What stages does an owner go through when creating an online store?

Opening an online store consists of several stages:

• choosing a niche that is promising, interesting for you and potential buyers;
• choice of organizational and legal form of activity and business registration; 
• opening a bank account, connecting an online cash desk; 
• conclusion of a contract for accounting services; 
• website development for an online store; 
• purchase of hosting and domain; 
• creating your own brand or concluding contracts with product suppliers;
• obtaining a license for goods and services, if it is stipulated by law; 
• connection to electronic payment systems;
• filling the site and its promotion. 

At each stage, the entrepreneur has a choice of several solutions, each of which must be carefully analyzed. You can register an individual entrepreneur or create a company, order the development of a website in a studio, make it yourself using a constructor, or even sell goods through marketplaces.

An entrepreneur can concentrate on one product group or trade in different types of products, work within one city or organize the delivery of orders across the region, throughout the country. Every entrepreneur has his own answers to these questions. They primarily depend on the market situation, the amount of capital and the time that you are willing to invest in your business.

Many important questions can be entrusted to third-party companies. For example, you can register an individual entrepreneur or a legal entity with the opening of a bank account and tax registration through an intermediary. These are companies offering legal business support. Technical issues related to the development, content and promotion of the site should also be entrusted to specialized organizations. As a rule, customers are offered a full package of services, thanks to which you get a website completely ready to receive buyers.

An important nuance is the entrepreneur's readiness to constantly analyze the changes that are taking place in the market, and the ability to adapt to them. You should be prepared for the fact that in the process of work you will adjust the assortment, change suppliers, look for new methods of delivery and advertising. All online store owners, without exception, go through these stages until they manage to find and occupy their niche.

What documents should be prepared for the site?

For legal trade through an online store, an entrepreneur must have documents on state registration of a business and tax registration, an online cashier, documents for the site of an online store. If the company has its own warehouse, pick-up points, you will need to conclude a lease agreement for the premises.

Like regular trading, Internet sales are subject to certain rules. They relate to documents confirming the origin and quality of goods. If you sell goods subject to mandatory certification, then you must have certificates.

Documents for connecting Internet acquiring 

To connect acquiring, an entrepreneur needs to prepare a package of documents that regulate the relationship between users and the owner of the site. This list includes:

• User agreement - an offer agreement, which contains legal information about the company that owns the site, the rights and obligations of the parties, rules for using the site, limitations of legal liability.
• The personal data processing (PD) policy regulates issues related to the provision, storage, processing, blocking and depersonalization of users' personal information. In accordance with the law, users must express their consent to the processing of personal information when registering an account, signing up for a newsletter, filling out an application, etc. The document must indicate the purposes and legal grounds for processing PD, the composition of the data, the company's responsibility to ensure measures to protect PD from leakage and theft.
• The cookie policy defines the use of cookies and their storage on the user's device. Cookies are used to quickly identify a site visitor and save account settings, help remember the user's preferences based on his choice. The user must familiarize himself with the current cookie policy and give his consent to the use of these files. The site owner should indicate what types of cookies are used and what their life cycle is, what technologies are used to write information to the memory of the browser or device.
• The return policy regulates issues related to the return and exchange of goods of good and inadequate quality. The document must indicate the legal basis and terms of the exchange, the procedure for refunding money for the goods.

Connecting Internet acquiring to receive payments from customers online

Online selling allows you to accept payments from customers in a variety of ways. The most popular ones are:

• electronic money;
• bank cards;
• payment terminals, which are usually installed in communication salons, shopping centers;
• SMS messages.

Experts refer to payment acceptance aggregators as the most convenient options for the store owner. These services combine several methods of accepting payments from customers at once and ensure the security of processing. In fact, the e-acquiring system is an intermediary between the e-commerce representative and the consumers. This means that the store owner does not need to enter into a service agreement with each individual payment operator. After accepting a payment through aggregators, funds can be withdrawn to your bank account or card.

Lawyers of A4 Law Firm will help you to understand all the intricacies and details of opening an online store. We are well acquainted with the legal aspects of e-commerce and offer comprehensive business support at all stages of its development.