7 Steps for Starting an eCommerce Business from Scratch in Egypt

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, eCommerce in Egypt has witnessed widespread growth backed by the high internet penetration and the booming smartphone market. This inspired even small retailers to step into building their own eCommerce empire.

In response to the new trends, this article explained the key initial steps involved in the process of starting an eCommerce business from scratch in Egypt and tips to start selling items instantly.

Let’s get started!

Different Ways for Creating an Online Store in Egypt

Basically, creating an online store in Egypt depends basically on your business model. There are two key ways to choose from when setting up your online business in Egypt:

1. Developing Your Own eCommerce Website from Scratch

Building an eCommerce website from scratch for startups is a rather difficult, expensive option to choose as it requires website development, online marketing set-up, payment gateway integration, logistics implementation, and much more. And you need to be picky about finding the best eCommerce development companies in Egypt.

However, having your eCommerce website will help you build a custom brand name for yourself and it’s a highly successful business strategy in the long term.

2. Joining an eCommerce Marketplace

Being a part of an eCommerce marketplace is an easy way to start selling your products online in Egypt. All you need to become a part of an eCommerce marketplace is to have a bank account and a tax registration number.

The eCommerce marketplace will take care of everything else — website development, website design, payment gateway, marketing, etc. hence, reducing the workload for sellers. Additionally, a seller can join multiple eCommerce marketplaces at the same time to maximize sales.

How to Start Your Own eCommerce Business in Egypt

To start your own eCommerce business in Egypt, there are some steps involved in the process. Let’s take a glance at each step:

Step 1: Choose the Perfect Business Model

There are two main types of business models that you can opt for. You can go with either a multi-vendor or a single vendor eCommerce store. Also, you can choose either a single product line or have multiple product lines based on your budget.

Choosing a multi-vendor marketplace enables multiple vendors to sell their products to various customers. It gives you security in terms of making a sale, helps you deal with demand fluctuations, and helps prevent a disruption in the supply process.

A single-vendor marketplace only involves two entities— a single seller who is selling products to multiple customers. By using this model you’ll be having more control over the inventory at hand.

Step 2: Build your Brand

Once you’ve decided your business model and have narrowed down on the product or products you want to sell, as well as the target audience you want to reach, the next important step is to come up with the well-crafted name for your brand.

Your brand name should be:

Unique
Short
Easy-to-remember
Reflect your brand personality

Moreover, you should come up with a finalized design for your business logo.

Step 3: Register Your eCommerce Business

It is one of the most crucial parts of starting your eCommerce business from scratch in Egypt. You have to register and complete all the legal formalities.

You need to follow the below procedures to register your company:

Get a Trade Name Clearance Certificate (done by the client).
Obtain a certificate from an authorized bank (done by the client).
Submit documents to the Companies Establishment Department, under the General Authority for Investments (GAFI) (done by the client).
Notarize company’s contract (done by the client).
Obtain Chamber of Commerce Certificate (done by the GAFI).
Issuance the notification of incorporation (done by the GAFI).
Commercial Registry Certification (done by the client).
Register for taxes (done by the client).
Register employees with the National Authority of Social Insurance (done by the client).

Step 4: Open a Bank Account

Once your company is officially registered, you will need to open up a bank account in the official name of the company.

Step 5: Build Your eCommerce Website

In this case, you have 2 main options:

Using a Pre-built Platform like Shopify, BigCommerce, ExpandCart, etc. These platforms offer you readymade, easy-to-use templates designed according to your industry.
Creating an Online Store from Scratch: You can develop and design your eCommerce website exactly the way you’d imagined it in your mind. CodeShip, the leading eCommerce development websites company in the Middle East, is the favored option for many entrepreneurs.

Step 6: Decide on Payment Gateways and Logistics

This step is crucial to carrying out a successful eCommerce business in Egypt. You need to set up payment gateways for your eCommerce business that allow the processing of credit cards, debit cards, cash card transactions, etc.

Decide also on logistics. It refers to the process of shipping an item to a customer or transporting an inventory to a retailer. Having effective logistics will help in preventing products from going missing and successfully responding to customer queries regarding the expected delivery.

Step 7: Promoting Your Online Store

Now it’s time to attract customers to your eCommerce website. Based on your objectives and the budget you’ve set for promoting your online store, you can choose from a variety of marketing techniques that can be used effectively.

Final Note

If you want to make your eCommerce startup journey smooth? CodeShip brings the best-customized eCommerce websites solutions in the Arab world by providing a variety of solutions of B2B and B2C eCommerce websites, helping managers to track their inventory, add or remove products, the process of payments, computing taxes, and fulfilling orders.