If you’re seriously thinking about starting your own online store in 2025, congratulations, you’re about to step into something big. It’s a massive leap, no doubt about it.
The best benefit of creating your own store is that you get complete control. You will now have full autonomy to shape your brand, make your own decisions, and steer your business in the direction you want. And the beauty of it all is that you don’t have to answer to any third-party platforms.
Realistically, even if you’re tech-savvy, the amount of time it takes to configure all the aspects of your online store can be exhausting. Sure, there are tutorials and forums, but who has the time to sift through endless articles, videos and threads?
And what happens when something breaks or doesn’t work as expected? You could end up stuck in a loop of troubleshooting and wasting your precious time.
Your best option would be to hire a competent digital marketing agency in Sydney that can ensure and guarantee that your store is not only live but ready to meet the demands of Australian shoppers.
Nonetheless, in this article, we’ll be giving you a very detailed rundown of the steps involved in starting an online store in 2025:
Step 1. Set up Your Online Store Platform (Hosting & Domain)
Before you start building your website, you’ve got some paperwork to handle. You need to decide on a business structure. Will you operate as a sole trader, a partnership, or maybe an LLC? Whichever you choose is sure to have an impact on your taxes, liability and growth potential down the line.
Once you’ve decided on your structure, it’s time to register your business. You’ll need to get an ABN (Australian Business Number) and, if you’re making over $75,000, you’ll need to register for GST too.
You’ll also need to check if your industry requires specific permits or licenses. Each state might have different requirements, so make sure you’ve done your homework.
And about hosting, you have to choose the platform that fits your budget and tech skills, but at the same time, you must always think ahead. What you need today might not be what you need six months down the line, so keep this in mind when you make a choice.
Again, it would be in your best interest to bring in expert marketing agencies in Sydney who are well-versed in setting up online stores. They alone can figure out the specific requirements for your sites after duly taking all the factors at play into consideration.
Step 2. Set Up Your WordPress Website
Now that you’ve got a solid foundation for your online store, it’s time to set the stage, and WordPress is the perfect tool for the job.
WordPress is as user-friendly as they come, especially if the thought of coding sends a chill down your spine.
Another thing about WordPress is that it is quite versatile, adaptable and incredibly easy to use. You don’t need to be a tech wizard to get started. The interface is designed so that even first-timers can find their way around, and if you do stumble, there’s a massive community of users and tutorials online ready to guide you.
The platform comes with countless themes and plugins, which means you can customise everything from the way your homepage looks to how your checkout process works. Even if you’re starting with a small budget, WordPress offers enough tools to get you off the ground and grow your business over time. Also, the growth you desire can be faster with the help of digital marketing in Sydney.
Step 3. Set Up Your WooCommerce Store
Now that your WordPress website is ready, it’s time to turn it into a fully functional online store, and you’ll need WooCommerce to help with the custom website design.
WooCommerce works right on top of WordPress, which means you get all the flexibility of WordPress with the added ability to sell pretty much anything you can think of. But what sets it apart is the way it handles the complex bits of e-commerce with surprising ease.
For instance, it has inventory management as a full-fledged system that allows you to keep track of your stock levels, set alerts for low inventory, and even automate stock updates. With this, you’ll literally never have to manually count items again.
And then there’s shipping. WooCommerce doesn’t just stop at basic shipping options. It allows you to configure multiple methods such as flat rate, free shipping, or even location-based charges.
Australian businesses will surely benefit the most from it. Let’s say you’re shipping from Sydney to Perth, which is a pretty long distance. WooCommerce lets you set specific rates based on the distance or region so that you won’t lose a lot of money on logistics.
And if you’re shipping locally within your suburb or city, you can offer special rates or even free delivery to give yourself a competitive edge.
Apart from all of that, WooCommerce also gives you the tools to expand as you grow. If you’d like to sell nationwide, you can take advantage of the fact that it supports integrations with major Australian shipping carriers like Australia Post, so your customers can track their orders with ease.
And if you’re selling internationally, WooCommerce has options for multiple currencies and tax rates, so you can cater to a global audience without losing your mind or calculations.
Step 4. Set Up Payments for Your Online Store
If your customers can’t pay you, you’re not running a store, right? Thankfully, WooCommerce makes it straightforward to get your payment methods up and running.
First things first, head to the WooCommerce > Settings page in your WordPress dashboard and click on the ‘Payments’ tab. This is where you’ll find all your gateway options.
Out of the box, WooCommerce comes with a few basic options: PayPal Standard, Cash on Delivery, Checks, and Bank Transfers. They’re all fine and functional, but if you’re looking for a more streamlined and professional payment process, we strongly recommend Stripe. Stripe is exceptional because it is fast, flexible and trusted by businesses big and small across the globe.
If you scroll a little further down in the Payments tab, you’ll notice options to enable Stripe, PayPal Checkout and other WooCommerce Payments.
To enable Stripe, simply click the ‘Set Up’ button next to it. This will prompt you to enter your API keys, which you can find in your Stripe account. If you don’t have a Stripe account yet, you can simply sign up for free.
Once you’re in, you’ll have access to your secret and publishable keys to copy and paste into WooCommerce. Don’t forget to click ‘Save changes’ once you’ve entered your details and enabled Stripe. That’s basically all you need to do. With Stripe in place, your store is ready to accept payments.
Step 5. Add Products to Your Online Store
As soon as your payment options are up and running, it’s time to now give the customers something to actually buy. Uploading your products to your store is the digital version of putting your items on display in a shop, except now, it’s all happening online, and it’s more critical that every detail about the product is inputted correctly.
If your product has different options, like size or colour, you’ll need to add those variations. WooCommerce lets you create attributes (like size, colour and material) and link them to variations. So, if you’re selling a pair of shoes, you’d add attributes like size (with options like small, medium and large) and colour.
When you add the variation, you can set different prices for each one and even track stock separately for each variation.
If you hire a competent marketing agency in Sydney, they will help you take advantage of a hack called linked products. This is where you get to suggest other items that go well with the one they’re looking at. If someone’s buying a pair of sneakers, you could suggest a matching pair of socks.
This could be a cross-sell. Or, if they’re buying a basic white shirt, you could offer a fancier version of the same shirt as an upsell. This little technique can drive your sales up without much extra effort.
Step 6. Select and Customise WordPress Custom Design Development with Netplanet Digital
The truth is, starting an online store has never been more accessible than it is now. With the right guidance, tools, and support, you can build a store that not only functions well but thrives in the competitive Australian market.
We at Netplanet Digital have made it our mission to help businesses like yours. Not only do we have the expertise to make sure everything works flawlessly, but we also have our preferred hosting partners who can ensure that your website is fast, secure, and scalable.
One thing our previous client commended us for is the concerted effort we put into customising your site. Sure, you could take a premade theme and tweak it a little. But at Netplanet Digital, we go deeper than just the bare minimum.
We fine-tune everything, from fonts to colours to layout. We’ll make sure your site feels like it was built just for you. Your site needs to stand out, and we’re here to make that happen.
As part of our custom web design, we will make sure your store is easy to navigate and simple to shop from. We focus on user experience, things like smooth navigation, quick product views, and an easy checkout process.
Speed and SEO are not left out either. A beautifully designed site doesn’t mean much if it doesn’t show up when people search for your products. We’ll ensure your product pages, meta tags, and URL structures are optimised to make your store more discoverable.
All of these and more we will do if only you give us a chance. Reach out to us today and we’ll give you a site that is sure to bring in massive revenue in 2025.It’s never too early to begin preparations. Take advantage of our FREE 30-minute strategy call today!
