How to start an online store?

Starting an online store is easier than ever, but competition for customer attention is fiercer than ever. A website template and uploading product photos is no longer enough to build a profitable business.

The secret of a successful store is that the online store, brick-and-mortar shop, POS, warehouse and ERP work together seamlessly from day one. When stock levels stay in sync and orders move without manual work, the merchant can focus on what matters most: sales and customer experience.

1 Business idea, target audience and revenue model

Before you choose any software or theme, define the foundation of the business:

• What do you sell and to whom? Do you sell to consumers (B2C), businesses (B2B) or perhaps both? B2B sales emphasise customer-specific contract prices, a fast order form and invoicing, while consumer retail hinges on visuals and easy payments.
• What is your competitive edge? Do you compete on assortment breadth, fast delivery, expert customer service or specialist products?
• Margins and cost structure: On top of the purchase price, allow for payment fees (1–3 %), shipping, packaging, returns handling and system costs.

2 Choosing an ecommerce platform

Platform choice is the merchant's most important technology decision. The wrong choice often backfires within 1–2 years, when the platform runs out of features or maintaining separate add-ons becomes too expensive and complex.

You can read a more detailed comparison in our article: Flowvy vs. Shopify and WooCommerce — Feature comparison →

3 Product data and centralised inventory

Online, the customer cannot touch the product, so high-quality product data is your best salesperson:

• Precise attributes: Sizes, colours, dimensions, materials and technical specs help the customer choose the right product and reduce costly returns.
• High-quality images and video: Multiple angles, close-ups of details and images that show scale can lift conversion by as much as 40 %.
• Using AI: Modern platforms like Flowvy include built-in AI that creates SEO-optimised product descriptions and translates product data automatically into other languages (Swedish, English, Norwegian, Danish).
• Real-time inventory: When a product is sold at the brick-and-mortar POS on Saturday afternoon, the online stock must update within seconds — otherwise you sell out-of-stock items and create disappointment.

4 Payment methods and building trust

Checkout is the most critical moment in ecommerce. Over 60 % of cart abandonments come from a missing payment method or a checkout that looks untrustworthy.

• Online bank payments: Still the most popular method in Finland. Paytrail and Klarna gather all domestic banks under one contract.
• Mobile payments: MobilePay has become the fastest and most popular way to pay on a smartphone.
• Invoice and instalments: Especially on higher-value purchases, invoicing gives the buyer security and increases average order value.
• B2B invoicing: Business customers need e-invoicing (OVT), PDF invoices by email and credit-limit management.

5 Logistics, delivery methods and store pickup

Fast, flexible delivery is a major competitive advantage. Always offer the customer at least two options:

• Pickup points and parcel lockers: Posti and Matkahuolto cover the whole country. Lockers are by far the Finnish favourite.
• Home delivery: Important for large shipments or time-pressed customers.
• Click & Collect: For a merchant with a physical store, free pickup brings the customer into the shop, where significant extra sales often follow.

6 How do you find your first customers?

Even a beautiful store will not sell if nobody finds it. Build marketing on several pillars:

• Search engine optimisation (SEO): Design the product tree and category structure around how customers search. When category pages rank at the top of Google, you get continuous free traffic.
• Google Ads (Performance Max & Shopping): The most effective way to put products in front of customers ready to buy.
• Social advertising: Meta (Instagram & Facebook) and TikTok work brilliantly for impulse purchases and brand awareness.
• Email marketing & loyalty: Collect an email list from day one. Reactivating an existing customer is five times cheaper than acquiring a new one.

7 Testing, launch and continuous improvement

Before you open the doors publicly, run thorough tests:

• Make a real test purchase with real money across payment methods and cancel the order in admin to confirm the refund.
• Try the order flow on different smartphones (iPhone, Android) and browsers.
• Ensure order confirmations, tracking codes and receipts are sent to the customer automatically.
• Cover the legal basics: terms of delivery, privacy notice and cookie notice (GDPR).